Before you submit a Chrome extension or release an update, check that every permission in its manifest supports a feature that already exists, grants only the access that feature needs, and has an understood user warning. Review API permissions and website access separately, then consider whether user-triggered or optional access can replace broader, always-on permissions.
1. Inventory every permission and source of website access
Start with the complete manifest, not just the permissions array. Chrome distinguishes API permissions from host access, and access can also be declared through content-script match patterns. Record each declaration, the feature that uses it, and the browser capability or website data it exposes. See Chrome’s manifest permission guidance.
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| Manifest entry | What to inspect |
|---|---|
permissions |
Browser API permissions required by the extension’s current features. |
optional_permissions |
API permissions requested only when a user chooses an optional feature. |
host_permissions |
Websites the extension can access; check whether each host or pattern can be narrowed. |
optional_host_permissions |
Website access requested later for an optional feature. |
content_scripts.matches |
Sites where declared content scripts run; include these patterns in the access review. |
Some features need both an API permission and host access. Do not assume that an API permission alone describes the extension’s full access, or that every website pattern is listed under host_permissions.
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For every permission and host pattern, answer three questions: Which implemented feature uses it? What exact capability or site access does that feature need? Could a narrower permission, host pattern, or interaction model provide it? Remove any declaration with no current feature behind it. Chrome Web Store policy calls for requesting the narrowest permissions necessary and says not to request access for features that are not yet implemented; see Use of Permissions.
A useful review record is a short mapping such as “permission or pattern → feature → reason for this scope.” If you cannot explain the mapping in plain language, investigate before submitting. The goal is not to make the manifest look small for its own sake; it is to ensure that every requested capability is justified by the extension users can actually use.
3. Match access scope and timing to how a feature works
Use activeTab when access follows a user gesture
If a feature acts on the current page only after the user invokes the extension, evaluate whether activeTab can provide the needed temporary access instead of broad host access. Chrome describes it as access to the active tab after a user gesture and notes that it can be an alternative to broad host permissions for many use cases. It is not a universal substitute: verify the requirements of the APIs and page access the feature actually uses. See Protect user privacy and Declare permissions.
Rank #2
Use optional permissions for genuinely optional features
If a feature is optional, consider declaring the needed permission in optional_permissions or optional_host_permissions and requesting it only when the user enables that feature. Explain the request at that moment, and make sure the extension remains useful and behaves sensibly if the user declines. Chrome documents the Permissions API, including permissions.contains() to check current permission state and methods for removing permissions no longer needed.
These choices concern different dimensions: activeTab can limit when page access is available, while optional permissions let a user grant access when an optional feature is enabled. Neither approach excuses requesting a capability the feature does not need.
4. Translate permission names into capability and warning
Look up each API permission in Chrome’s permissions reference. Note what it enables and the warning Chrome associates with it. Then review the combined warning behavior using Chrome’s permission warning guidelines. Some individual warnings may not appear when permissions are bundled with others, so a warning’s absence does not establish that the underlying capability is absent.
Use that translation when writing product-facing explanations: describe the feature and the access it needs rather than relying on a permission name alone. The warning shown to users and the capability granted are related, but they are not interchangeable ways to describe scope.
Rank #4
5. Check submission and update behavior before release
Test the extension with permissions absent as well as present. In particular, check what happens when an optional permission request is declined, and confirm that features without that permission fail gracefully rather than appearing broken. Review Chrome’s documented warning workflow before submitting.
The Tool Desk
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Quick Recap
Pre-publish checklist
- Inventory
permissions,optional_permissions,host_permissions,optional_host_permissions, andcontent_scripts.matches. - Map every declaration to an implemented feature and its specific access need.
- Narrow host patterns and remove unused or future-only permissions.
- Evaluate
activeTabfor page access triggered by a user gesture, and optional permissions for features users can choose to enable. - Check each permission’s capability and warning, including how warnings combine.
- Test behavior when access is absent, denied, or newly requested during an update.
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